The things that matter

Chapter 10

Silent. We both looked at each other in silence, eyes wide, not quite processing what was happening.

"It can't be Grand Pabbie, we've never... oh, right, that time..."

"Anna..." No other word came out of my mouth.

"Kristoff?"

"We are parents?"

Grand Pabbie nodded and Anna put her hands on her belly. I saw her looking down at her belly button. Those curves that I knew so well, that warm and soft skin, now was protecting our child. Our child! I hugged her overwhelmed without being able to think clearly, I kissed her forehead, she looked at me, I kissed her nose, I kissed her lips and we shared a blissful smile.

"Kristoff, we are parents!"

"Yes, we are!"

The trolls began to make a great celebratory uproar while we remained meeting each other's gaze. Then, as the blood began to irrigate our brains properly, our eyes widened again, this time bathed in horror.

"Oh, God, oh, God, oh God, oh God... Kristoff! We are parents!"

Anna's earlier tone of joy had been replaced by a mixture of fear and frustration.

"Grand Pabbie! I know... I know we ask a lot, but please, is there anything you can do to make the child healthy?"

Anna seemed to like my idea and joined in my prayer.

"Please, Grand Pabbie, I'll do whatever it needs."

The old troll approached Anna, laid his palm lightly on her belly, and it began to glow a moss-green glow.

"It won't be necessary for me to do anything," he said sighing relieved. "The baby is perfectly healthy."

"Is that right?!" I exclaimed almost jumping on them between incredulous and enthusiastic.

"Yes, son. Your baby is fine. There is nothing to fear."

Without giving me time to react, Anna threw herself into my arms and burst into tears, and screamed and laughed; and, only when some calm came back to her and she wiped my tears away with her long thin fingers, did I realize that she hadn't been the only one to do all that.

I smiled at her touch, gently released her, and knelt before her. Then, I rested my forehead on her belly and was silent for a few moments, as if trying to connect with that little person inside.

"I love you."

It was no more than a whisper escaping my lips, but I knew that both Anna and our baby could feel it was directed at both of them.

"We love you too, daddy."

We shared a new, sweet and hopeful smile, I got up and we hugged again.

"It seems that we're going to have to advance the wedding," Anna commented, assuming it would be wise to avoid the possible comments that would accompany a royal pregnancy outside marriage.

"Sorry, dear, what did you just say?" Bulda said breaking our hug to stand in the middle of us.

"I said we should..."

"Do not repeat it to me! Aren't you married?!"

"Ma, don't you think that if I was married you would have had some news about it?"

"How can you say it so utterly calm, young man? Father without being married? Have I not taught you anything in all this time? Trolls don't do things like that!"

"I'm not a troll, ma..."

"So now you deny your family?"

"What? No! Don't twist my words!"

"Bulda..." Anna diplomatically intervened. "Would it be alright if you marry us now?"

"What?!" an unexpected knot anchored in my throat cracking my voice.

"This girl does know how to do things."

"Anna, you don't have to. Don't listen to them. Do things at your own pace, anyway, this marriage would never be valid in Arendelle."

"But it would have it for your family. And, honestly," Anna began to hesitate and a subtle blush began to dull her characteristic freckles. "I would be... excited to continue with that wedding that... well, you know, it was not the time, but I saw you with all that paraphernalia and that smile and... I've always wondered what it would have been like to go ahead and... you... do you want to?"

I don't know how much happiness it's normal to overflow when someone tells you that she's been dreaming for years of accomplishing exactly the same thing that you've been dreaming of from exactly the same moment, but I think that day I exceeded the quota.

"For Goodness sake! Want to?!"

I ran my fingers back through my bangs in an internal struggle to organize my emotions and make sure that what came out of my mouth were words with meaning and not just grunts and nonsensical babbling.

"Be my wife, Anna, right here and right now!"

Anna pounced at me, ready to hug me down, but didn't even touch me as a swarm of effervescent trolls intercepted her on her way and ushered each of us in one side of the clearing to prepare for the ceremony.